Where does American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (A Full Cast Production) rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

There is only one audiobook I liked better and that was Dracula with Alan Cumming and Tim Curry. This was an amazing production. Dennis Boutsikaris is the perfect narrator. I love how Neil Gaiman reads not only the introduction, but the interludes of Mr. Ibis' diary. The entire cast captured the characters perfectly. At times I felt like I was listening to a radio drama and not a book. Gaiman's writing is really beautiful and when it is read aloud, you can hear the beauty and you (well at least I was) are transported to wherever his pen takes you.

What was one of the most memorable moments of American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (A Full Cast Production)?

honestly, I can't just pick a few moments because this is one of the rare books that is solid from start to finish. My favorite part of the book is when Shadow is in the underworld. Hearing that out loud made it more powerful and moving. The murder of Wednesday also resonated, as did the meetings of the gods.

Which character – as performed by the narrators – was your favorite?

The were all spot on. As I said Dennis Boutsikaris brings the right amount of deadpan to the narration. He is almost lackadaisical about his reading, as if he wants to be doing something else, which creates an irony in that these characters are in liife and death situations. All the narrators captured their characters. Wednesday was as rasoy as I imagined. Low Key was as oily as a snake salesman. As for Shadow? Let's just say that next time I read this book I will be hearing his dialogue in that actor's voice.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

Yes. There were some parts of this book that I laughed so loud, I almost woke up my sleeping family. My husband would know when I was listening to it if I was totally engaged and had a smirk on my face.

Any additional comments?

This was an amazing read and if you haven't read any Neil Gaiman, this is the book you should begin with.

The only thing that is missing is a cast listing. I knew who the narrator was (Dennis Boutsikaris has a distinctive voice) but I would have liked to know who else was involved in this audiobook, because they were all amazing and if they have done other narrations I would love to hear them.

This is a good introductory book to Neil Gaiman that contains a Full Cast helping to bring all the characters to life. The book begins with Shadow being released from prison and he soon meets a man named Mr. Wednesday who offers him a job as his bodyguard. Mr. Wednesday is more then he appears as Shadow finds out he is living in a world where all the old gods and even new ones exists. So join Shadow as he rediscovers the world he thought he knew.

American Gods has won many awards including two of the biggest:Hugo and Nebula

Neil Gaiman has also started writing the sequel to American Gods and it is rumored to focus on the New Gods.

What did you like best about American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (A Full Cast Production)? What did you like least?

Neil Gaiman's whimsical plot, rich narrative, and exquisite character development make what would otherwise be a pedestrian tale into a keeper. Gaiman says that readers tend to like the book or hate it, and I can see why. I really disliked the premise and the story to be quite honest, but I really liked Gaiman's writing style.Philosophically the story is interesting - American culture contains a wonderful, bewildering patois of colliding cultural traditions, and at the same time the leading creator of culture in the world. Gaiman's story elucidates this cultural dialectic through a metaphor of a supernatural struggle between the many old gods brought to America in the consciousness of its immigrants and the new gods who had their beginning here.

How would you have changed the story to make it more enjoyable?

I'm not sure I would want to change this story. Gaiman says in his author's foreword that the genre of the story is hard to place, and I agree. I'd say it belongs somewhere between fantasy and horror, neither of which genres are my ordinary cup of tea, but I enjoyed the richness and rhythm of his prose and the development of the characters.

What does the narrators bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

The narrators are cast beautifully - their voice characterizations help to flesh out the already well developed characters.

Do you think American Gods: The Tenth Anniversary Edition (A Full Cast Production) needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

This book stands on its own - a follow up isn't needed, nor do I think it would be even possible. That said, I could easily envision a podcasted panel discussion of the philosophical and cultural metaphors in American Gods and how they relate to actual cultural dynamics.

Gaiman is one of those authors for who I simply buy the hardbound when it comes out and I read and re-read these over the years. I was thrilled to find this revised production version of it on Audible.com. I may be prejudiced but I found this audio book immaculately performed and amongst the top of the books I've listened to.

I really enjoyed the variety of narrators-with a novel this involved, a multi cast interpretation is the only way to do it justice.Yes, it's long and quite complex, especially if you've not read it previously but it's well worth the time and any effort. If you're a fan of fantasy fiction, American gods should fascinate you.

A caveat: It may take a while to get into..because it is long and as a bit convoluted, you might not be grabbed in the first chapter..Gaiman develops his novels slowly-they creep up on you. I hope readers who are unfamiliar with his work don't give up right away..this book is a synopsis of past gods and goddesses from our ancestors and their plight in the world of technology.

For me, this is a book thats worth reading, and re reading again-I know I'll be listening again in a couple of years.

I've always wanted to read American Gods, but I never got around to it. So, I just figured that I would just listen to the Tenth Anniversary Edition, since it is much longer than the original. Although the story is good and Neil Gaiman is a genus with his commentary, I should had read the original first to know what was added to the new edition. I would had understood the story better and it's characters. When Stephen King first published The Stand in 1978, he needed to edited the book down to fit on one binding. Over a decade later, in 1990, he decided to published the extended version of the same book. From a reader that read both version, I can appreciate both Stands. I want to read the first edition of American Gods to learn what I'm missing.

slightly less than that. A three, I suppose, which averages out to a four. I love the story and the narrators do an OK job. OK, not great. Some of them sound robotic and unpersonable but some of them do very good.

I was dissapointed in that it's called a full cast audio book but it's really not. There are only a few voice actors reading a story with many, many, many amazing characters.

If you've never read American Gods or never listened to it, you should know that it is a slow book and the protagonist doesn't actively want anything. He's called Shadow and it suits his personality. Many readers/listeners get frustrated with this but I found it to be a great way to approach the story told.

It's an amazing story if you're into dark fantasy, mythology or post modernist writing.

This version was an extreme letdown after having listened to the audiobook narrated by George Guidall numerous times. The reading is rushed and flat. None of the readers actually give any personality to their rolls. The inflection, too, is completely off. I was very excited to hear the alterations from the original but was unable to get past chapter three because of the poor reading. I may buy this as a physical book to find the changes but I will, for sure, go back to listening to the George Guidall version.

Like the previous reviewer, I say stick with the George Guidall recording of the original release. Mr. Guidall did such a fabulous, iconic job that even now, years after first listening to American Gods, I still have trouble accepting his narration of any other novel: I just hear Shadow.

But this version of American Gods has bigger problems than just not living up to the original. Mainly, I just don't feel like the actors breathe any life into their roles, so that the transition between speakers is jarring rather than natural. (Caveat: I almost always have this complaint with full cast recordings.) Most of the actors don't have a lot of inflection in their voices. The only exception is Laura, who is described as speaking in a monotone. Laura is brimming with expression! (Go figure, right?) Many of the gods speak in bad and inconsistent accents--while mispronouncing words in "their" native languages.

Here I take issue with the producers, who didn't do enough research to make sure their actors were pronouncing those foreign words correctly. I'm nowhere near fluent in Russian, but I know that it should be "Zorya PoluNOCHnaya" not "Zorya PolunochNAYa." It's DEDushka, not dedUSHka.Every time I hear a mispronounced word, it throws me out of the story.

The story itself is great--I'm a big fan of American Gods, and I was really looking forward to this expanded edition. But after this one listen, I'm going back to the original.

You know, I bet Mr. Guidall mispronounced some of those same Russian words. But I don't remember them.

This is a story of American immigrants, not necessarily of America itself. Of gods pulled from heart and mind when an immigrant leaves his home for alien shores. The new gods, the narrative (nominal) black hats of the story are probably more like America's real gods.

It is a strange tale, but interesting if you like mythology. The main character, Shadow, is a bit wooden, but I feel that was the author's intention. Still, it makes it hard to empathize with all the varied and bizarre things that happen to him.